Kraftwerk Co-Founder Florian Schneider Passes Away at 73
The pioneering electronic musician leaves a legacy of influence.
Confirmed by Billboard and Sony Berlin, Kraftwerk member Florian Schneider has died at age 73. The co-founder of the influential electronic band was planning a summer tour of North America to tie in with Kraftwerk’s 50th anniversary, but it had been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, Kraftwerk co-founder Ralf Hütter iterated “the very sad news that his friend and companion over many decades Florian Schneider has passed away from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday.” Hütter and Schneider formed Kraftwerk in 1970, influencing countless generations of creatives with their pioneering approaches to performance and electronic production. Hit songs like “Trans-Europe Express” and “Musique Non Stop” granted them frequent appearances on the Billboard charts.
Musicians as diverse as JAY-Z, Afrika Bambaataa, Daft Punk and David Bowie sampled and/or paid tribute to Kraftwerk during their careers; Bowie specifically honored Schneider with “V-2 Schneider” from his 1977 album, Heroes.
Kraftwerk were recently nominated again for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, their sixth nomination.
Florian Schneider, co-founder of highly influential electronic pop group Kraftwerk, has died at the age of 73. Here’s a clip of the group showing Tomorrow’s World their studio back in 1975. For more archive clips of electronic music, you can visit – https://t.co/Uz3A3Vx8dN pic.twitter.com/yaZ12qhbsq
— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) May 6, 2020
Farewell to the extraordinary Florian Schneider (1947-2020) of @kraftwerk – the man machine lives on through an astonishingly original back catalogue of inspirational music. pic.twitter.com/yWF5UGwq8c
— Robin Rimbaud – Scanner (@robinrimbaud) May 6, 2020
What a week… now the great Florian Schneider… feeling an era passhttps://t.co/hsmc8elsuF
— nigel godrich 🌈 (@nigelgod) May 6, 2020
Another of my great heroes gone https://t.co/3ElmWlRKZR
— Thomas Dolby (@ThomasDolby) May 6, 2020
Quoting Florian Schneider would be a disservice to his legacy and the intent of his work. The music says it all. Every single note. pic.twitter.com/s2Bs1lmepy
— Ghostly (@ghostly) May 6, 2020
